Mechanical musical instrument



2 Sheets-Sheet I..

(No Model.)

A. H. HAMMOND.

MECHANICAL MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT. No. 254,644. Patented Mar. 7,1882.

jaw/Mar (No Model.) l l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. H. HAMMOND.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. No. 254,644. Patented Mar. 7,1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW H. HAMMOND, OF NVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters gPatent No. 254,644, dated March '7, 1882.

Application tiled January 31, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW H.. HAMMOND, of VVorcester,in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, applicable also to other purposes, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements are designed for use principally, although not exclusively,in connection with musical instruments whereina perforated music-sheet traveling over reed-cells controls the sounding of the reeds, and thereby produces the desired tunes.

The improvements consist in a novel combination, with the case of a musical instrument of the kind referred to, of :treed-board inclining toward and extending nearly to the top of the central portion of the cover oi' the case.

They also consist in the combination, in such an instrument, of a cover composed of two portions connected by a bridge-piece or bridgepieces, as hereinafter particularly described, whereby a transverse opening is produced in said cover.

They also consist in a novel combination of a swell-opening and slats, hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

They also consist in the combination, in a musical instrument, of a receiver arranged at the bottom thereof, bellows mounted 'on the top board of said receiver near one end, and a wind-chest and reed-board mounted on the top board of the receiver opposite said bellows, and extending nearly to the top of the central portion of the case of the instrument.

They also consist in the combination of a receiver having an inclined top board and a wind-chest and reed board mounted thereon, and also inclined.

They also consist in the combination, in a musical instrument, with a top board for areceiver grooved or recessed to form shoulders or shoulder like portions, of bellows-leather, india-rubber, or like flexible material having its edges ttin g over said shoulders or shoulder'- like portions, and cleats or strips iitted to the grooved or recessed portions and against the bellows-leather, india-rubber, or like material, and serving to aid in securing the latter in place, as also to brace and stay said top board.

They also consist in the combination, with a roller provided with a peripherical recess and a hook or analogous device arranged therein, of a musicsheet provided at one end with a ring or loop secured to it bya tape or strip and extendingbeyondthemusic-sheet,andadapted to be engaged with the said hook or device for securing the music-sheet to the said roller, whereby the liability oftearing the music-sheet in securing it to or detaching it from the roller is greatly lessened.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan of a mechanical musical instrument embodying my improvements. Fig.2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the take-up roller and certain mechanism forimparting motion to the same. Fig. 4 is a transverse section illustrative of the manner in which the inusicroller is supported at one end. Fig'. 5 is a transverse section illustrative ot' the manner in which it is supported at the other end. Fig. 6 is a central vert-ical section of a reed-cell. Fig. 7 is a transverse section illustrative of the method of supporting the take-up roller. Fig. S is a longitudinal section of one ofthe rollers for the traveling sheet. Fig. 9 is a transverse section ot' the cover of the instrument. Fig. 10 is a perspective view ot' the top board oi' the receiver, and Fig. ll is a perspective view ofthe top board of the receiver with the bellows attached thereto.

As shown, the cover is composed of two portions,which are connected by a bridge-piece or bridge-pieces, A3, leaving a transverse openin g between the two portions.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in allthe figures.

A designates the case of the instrument, which may be of any desirable shape and make. Preferably it has a cover, A2, hinged v'at one end, so that access may be readily had to the inclosed parts of theinstrument. If this cover is made of two sections, A and A2, which are hinged together, one section may be thrown back to expose the reed-board, or both sections maybe thrown back to expose the whole interior of the case.

B designates anumber of bellowsthere shown as three) arranged side'by side lengthwise of IOO the case A, and near one end thereof. They may be of the usual or any other suitable construction, and are in this example of my invention mounted on the top board of a receiver, C, extending, as here shown, obliquely or in an inclined position across the case from end to end thereof. Preferably the top board of this receiver and the windcliest E, mounted on and secured to it, are made of wood united together and having the grain extendingin the same direction, so that if either warps, shrinks, or changes otherwise through atmospheric influences, it will not become disrupted from the other, and thereby entail leakage. As shown, the top board of this receiver has grooves or recesses r* along its longitudinal edges, a transverse groove or recess,r', and intermediate longitudinal grooves or recesses, r2, leading from the transverse groove or grooves 1" to one end ofthe board, shouldered portions beingthusformedot'asize approximatelyequal to the top boards of the bellows B. Theleather, india-rubber, or like tiexible material forming the sides of the bellows is secured, by paste, glue, cement, or other suitable material, to the sides and ends of this shouldered portion; and cleats or strips B', which may he of wood, are fitted in the grooved or recessed portion of the receiver-board and secured thereto by glue, nails, or other means, and aid in securing the bellows-leather, india-rubber, or like flexible material in place. The cleats or strips in the side grooves or recesses, ri, extend preferably the whole length thereof, so as to form braces 0r stays thereto. This mode of forming the top board of the receiver is advantageous as compared with the old method of attaching separate pieces of wood to form similar shouldered port-ion s, as it leaves more available space within the bellows and obviates the liability to disruption between the shouldered portions and the receiver-board and consequent leakages resulting from changes effected by atmospheric variations. The top boards ofthe bellows B are actuated through the agency of pitman-rodsp by cranks a on the driving-shaft D of the instrument, and these cranks are set approximately equidistant radially, so as to cause the bellows to operate in succession and maintain together a continuous action on the receiver. The driving-shaft may be actuated by a hand-crank, D', outside the case of the instrument.

Mounted upon the wind-chest E is a reedboard, E', communicating through the windchest with the interior of the said receiver. The reed-board and wind-chest preferably extend obliquely up nearly to the top of the central portion ofthe case A, and the inlet-openings to the reed-cells c are at the apex. Preferably the inlets to such cells decrease in area retrogressively from the bass to the treble, so as to admit a volume of air suitable for each note.

In order to present a smooth surface to the perforated musicsheet G, whereby the ingress of air to these cells is controlled and auniform inlet for the airto the cells is obtained, I provide t-he apex of the reedboard with a hinged slat, E2,which may be termed a reedcover,'7 for lapping over the upper ends of the reeds F, and yet aifordingreadyaccess to them, and which forms apart or one side of the inlet-apertures of the reed-cells. This cover E2 is shown as hinged at theloweredgeand as held closed by a spring or springs, b. This cover serves also to define and locate the inlets or mouths of the reedcells at any desired distance forward of the faces of the reeds, and by varying the angle or inclination of the under side thereof, or ot' that portion only which overhangs the reeds and reed-cells, the inlet-apertures may be brought down close to the ends ofthe reeds, as shown at s in dotted lines in Fig. 6, or carried at a distance above them,as shown at o in bold outline in the same ligure, and thus by shortening or lengthening the cells the volume and quality of tone may be varied as desired. The inlet-apertures of the reed-cells are beyond the ends ofthe reeds, and the walls ofthe cells opposite the faces of the reeds may be inclined away from the backs of the reeds gradually downward, as shown in bold outline in Fig. 2, causing a gradual enlargement of the reedcells from their inlet-apertures inward.

A projecting rod, d,serves as a handle whereby the cover may be opened.

The perforated music-sheet G may be of paper or other suitable material, and, passing over the apex of the reed-board,it controls the admission to and exclusion from the reed-cells of air as may be necessary for the playing of the tune. The slat 0r cover E2 forms part of the rest for the musicsheet G. It may be permanently secured to a removable roller, H, termed a music-roller," and be detachably secured to a roller, I, termed a take-up" roller, which, if desirable, may also be removable. I preferably arrange the music-roller and take-up roller close to the reed-board and considerably below its apex. This relative arrangement of parts reduces the length of perforated musicsheet between the music-roller and take-up roller to the greatest possible extent, and hence it will be guided and kept more perfectly in its proper place by the heads or flanges of the music and take-up rollers, while by the same construction the musicsheet is drawn down closely upon the top of reed-board,so that no passageof air occurs,except through the pert'orations for producing the music,the notes being thus rendered more distinct and caused to speak more promptly and with greater strength and rapidity than can be the case when the paper is drawn more nearly in a horizontal plane.

One of thejournals of the music-roller (see Fig. et) rests in a semicircular bearing formed in a block, J, affixed to the side of the case A, and is held therein by a lever, J', hung at the upper enti from the side of the case and held against the said journal by a spring, c. The

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other journal of said roller (see Fig. 5) rests in aisemicircular bearing in a lever, K, pivoted at the lower end to the opposite side of the case A, and impelled by a spring,f, toward a wheel, L, supported on the same side ot' the case. rIhis wheel L is preferably faced with india-rubber or india-rubber-coated fabric or analogous material, audit bears againsta small wheel, M,carried by the music-roller adjacent to said journal, and prevents said journal from movinginthatdirectionoutofthebearing. The lever K hence serves not only as a bearingpieee, but also as a means for holding the wheel M in contact with the wheel L.

The construction of the bearings for the musicAroller may form the subject of another application for Letters Patent.

The wheel L is driven by a hand-crank, L', outside the case of the instrument, and serves to rapidly reroll the music-sheet ai'ter use. It also serves, as above explained, as a bearingpiece to the music-roller, and may act like a brake for the said roller to prevent it from rotating with such undesirable rapidity as to deliver the music-sheet too fast. Its journals may be supported in bearings lined with felt, cloth, or leather to avoid noise and wear. As shown, one of thejournals of this shaftis supported in a bearing in a bushing, a', inserted in a bracket, a2, extending from the case A, and the other journalis supported in a bushing, b', which may be inserted in the case A after the shaft is in place. The shai't is held against longitudinal displacement by the end of one of the journals fitting against the inner end of the bearing therefor in the bushing a', and by the outer end of the hub of the wheel L bearing against the adjacent part of the case Aor the bushing b.

It is obvious that by pushing back the lever K with the hand and by'moving the musicroller in the opposite direction, and then upward, it may be readily removed, and that by pushing it down along the edges of the levers J and K until its journals arrive at their bearings it may be readily inserted again for use.

The shaft of the wheel L may be arranged between the music-roller and the reed-board, and the lever K reversed at the opposite side of the said roller, and in this case the reedboard may be recessed or cut away at one end to accommodate the wheel L between it and the adjacent side ot' the case, and the shaft of said wheel may be supported at one end in the reed-board and at the other in said side of the case. When this is done the said side of the case may be provided with a large opening, into which the shaft may be readily inserted, and the bushing b', of hard wood or other suitable material, may be inserted after said shaft is in place between said shaft and the opening in the case, to secure said shaft in position and serve as a bearing therefor.

The take-up roller I has its journals supported in bearings formed in blocks O, permanently secured against the inner surfaces of the sides of the case A, and secured in place by levers or arms l?, pivoted to the sides of the case so that their lower sides impinge on the said journals, springs n being employed to force them against the journals and cause them to exert afriction thereon to prevent the roller I from running too freely in rewinding. To remove or secure this roller it is only necessary to lift it against the pressure of the levers P, so as to withdraw it from the bearings, and then move it backward beyond said levers. It is desirable that this take-up roller shall be light, so as to lessen its aptitude i'or acquiring a momentum that will carry it forward against the will of the person using the instrument when rewinding or rerolling the music-sheet, and for this reason I pr. ferably construct it of' two heads connected by a shalt of wood or other strong material, and of a cylindric body or drum of paper, I', or other light material, connected to hubs g extending from the inner sides ofsaid heads. The body I is shown as provided at about the middle of its length with a flange or trnck,g, of the same diameter as the hubs g, and in the face ot' which is a recess, 7L, provided near the bottom with a hook,p', for detachably securing the music-sheet thereto. The end of the music-sheet is preferably provided with a ring, p2, capable of engagement with the hook p', which may be secured to the music-sheet by a tape or strip of any strong thin material passing through the ring and lapped over each side of and secured by paste, glue, or otherwise, to the music-sheet.

I prefer to make the heads of the music and take-up rollers of paper, leather-board, or like material, as shown in Fig. 8, for in that way I can easily and cheaply make them strong and durable. These heads are necessarily so thin that when made of wood they are easily split and broken; but by making them of paper, leather-board, or like material this diiiiculty is obviated. Theyare pressed onto extensions of the shaft or body of the roller of smaller diameter than the said shaft or body and glued against the shoulder thus formed.

Motion is transmitted to the take-up roller by a wheel, Q, mounted on the driving-shaft D, and a wheel, R, deriving motion therefrom, and imparting it to said roller b v contact with one of its heads, which is preferably faced with india-rubber, -india-rubber-coated fabric, or analogous material. rI heroller-Rismountedon a U-shaped hanger, one arm of which embraces and is thereby secured to journal-boxes, preferably of wood, fitting on the driving-shaft D upon either side of the wheel Q, and the other arm of which embraces and is thereby secured to similar journal boxes receiving and supporting the shaft otl the intermediate wheel, R. This U-shaped hanger is made of springtempered sheet metal, and so adjusted that IOO when putin position upon the driving-shz-ift D, l

with the intermediate wheel, R, also in its position, it exerts a spring force which impinges the peripheries ot' the two wheels upon each other, creating africtional contact, so that when the shaft D is rotated in the proper direction theface of the intermediate wheel, R, is thereby brought against the head of the take-up roller, and is caused to revolve on its axis, and its own rotary motion is transmitted to the takeup roller, which in turn rotates in the same direction as the driving-shaft D.

It is obvious that in this construction and arrangement of parts and forces the power that is exerted in rotating the crank-shaft D and intermediate wheel, It, when the latter is in contact with the head of the take-up roller, is equally exerted thereupon; and it is also true that any frictional contact of the wheels Q Rand the said head of the take-up roller necessary to overcome any resistance to the rotation of the take-up roller is created by that resistance, so that the greater the resistance the greater the frictional contact of the wheels and the head of the roller. To disengage the intermediate wheel, It, from the head of the take-up roller it is only necessary to reverse the rotation of the driving-shaft D sufficiently to break the contact of their peripheries; and a stop may be placed upon the walls of the case to prevent the intermediate wheel, It. and its hanger from swinging away from the head ofthe take-up roller farther than may be desired.

The method which I have hereinabove described of supporting theintermediate wheel, R, and holding it forcibly in contact with the wheel Q upon the driving-shaft D, so as to create'the necessary frictional contact, is the one preferred by me; but other methods of creating this frictional contact between the driving-shaft D and the intermediate wheel, R, may be employed.

My improvement last described consists primarilyin connecting theintermediatewheel, It, and its hanger or bearing-piece with the crank-shaft, substantially as described, with such frictional contact between these two wheels as may be requisite, however such frictional contact may be produced, so that whenever the driving-shaft D is rotated it will carry with it the intermediate wheel, R, and its hanger, without rotating the intermediate wheel upon its axis, until some object is interposed sufticient to prevent the swinging motion of the intermediate wheel and its han ger.

The subsidiary improvement of making the intermediate wheel'hanger ot' sheet-steel or other material having a contractile force in itself sufficient to create the frictional contact desired between the two wheels by it connected with the crank-shaft D, I deem a valuable one fiom its compactness, simplicity, and durability; but a solid nonresilient hanger may be used and the required frictional contact of the two wheels obtained by means of a resilient surface upon one or both of these wheels, or in some cases gearing may be substituted for the wheels used in this device. By means of this combination of parts not only do I prevent the rotation of the take-up roller in the wrong direction, but I also provide for readily releasing the takeup roller when it is desirable to reroll the music-sheet.

By facing the periphery of the head of the roller I, against which the wheel R bears, with india-rubber, india-rubber-coated fabric, or like material, a frictional contact is obtained sufficient to effect the rotation ol' the take-up roller with very littlefrictional contact between the intermediate wheel, It, and the wheel Q on the driving-shaft.

I will here remark that I may in practice provide the side of the case which is the nearer to the hand-crank of the driving-shaft with a large opening, q, through which the said shaft may be easilyintroduced into its place, and that in such case I may insert between the said ope-ning and the shaft a bushing, i, of hard wood or other suitable material, for securing the shaft in place and forming a durable bearing therefor. I preferably provide the cover A A2 ot' the instrument with a swell consisting of a slat or slats, T, combined with the opening i in the center of the cover, so as to be capable of bcing opened and closed wholly or partially at pleasure. The slats T work edgewise through the opening t'. As shown, two slats, T, are employed, and they are rigidly connected at each end to levers k, which are pivoted by a pin, k2, to the bridgepieces A3, so that said slats may be adjusted to protrude more or less through the cover Al A2 and approach or recede from each other, thus wholly or partially closing the opening i, and thereby modifying the volume ot' tone emitted by the instrument. Slots or recesses in the bridge-pieces A3 afford provision for the inward movement of the said slats T. Preferably the levers 7c at one end (see Fig. 9) are extended beyond the pivot-pin k2 and connected to links 7a', which are at the opposite ends pivoted together by any suitable means, such as a rivet or pin. As shown, they are pivoted together by means of a spring, 7c3, fastened to the adjacent bridge-piece A, and having its free end bent at right angles and inserted in the links to form a connecting pivot-pin therefor. This spring serves to exert a force on the levers and links sufficient to preclude them from rattling at their-connections, and may also serve to retain the slats in any desirable position when not otherwise actuated. When the slats T are thus connected both may be adjusted bymanipulating, or,in other words, taking hold of and shifting, either, as when one is moved its connection with the other entails the moving of that also. When they are opened they will form a conduit adjacent to the reed-cells, whereby the sound will be concentrated, directed, and emitted from the instrument into a compact volume, and when closed they will more orless preclude the emission ot' sound, thereby forming a sensitive and efficient swell.

Although an instrument containing all the above-described features is very desirable, I

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do not wish to be understood as restricting myself to the use of all the features together. Neither do I wish to restrict myself to the use of all the features in mechanical musical instruments, for some are applicable to other musical instruments.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the case ot' a musical instrument wherein the operation of reeds is controlled by a traveling perforated musicsheet, of a reed-board inclining toward and extending nearly to the center portion of the cover of the case, substantially as specied.

2. The combination, with a musical instrument, of a cover composed of two portions, A A2, and a bridge-piece or bridge-pieces, A3, connecting them. n

3. The combination,in a musical instrument, of a swell-openin g, two slats for controlling the same, and means whereby said slats are enabled to work outward and inward through the cover of the instrument to approach and recede from each other.

4. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a swell-opening,two slatsfor controlling the same, and means whereby said slats are enabled to work outward and inward through the cover of the instrument to approach and recede from each other, and to form, when moved inward,acondnitadjacenttothe openingsofthe reed-cells for directing the sound from the instrument.

5. The combination ,in a musical instrument, of a swell-opening and two slats for controlling the same, working outward and inward through the cover of the instrument to approach and recede from each other, and connected so that both maybe moved or adjusted by manipulating one only.

6. Thecombinatiomin a musical instrument, of a swell-opening,two slats for controlling the same, working outward and inward through the cover of the instrument to approach and recede from each other, and levers whereby f said slats are pivoted in place.

7. The combination, in a musical instrument, of va swell-opening, slats for controlling the same, pivoted bylevers so as to work outward and inward through the cover of the instrument to approach and recede from each other, links for connecting said levers, and a spring applied to said links.

8. Thecombinatiomin a musical instrument, of a receiver arranged at the bottom thereof, bellows mounted on the top board of said receiver near one end, andawind-chestand reedboard mounted on thetop board of the receiver opposite said bellows, and extending nearly to the top of the central portion of the case of such instrument, substantially as specified.

9. Thecombinatiomin a musical instrument, of a receiver arranged at the bottom thereof and having an inclined top board, and a windchest and reed-board mounted on the top board of said receiver, and also being inclined, substantially as specified.

10. The combination, in a musical instrument, with a top board for a receiver grooved or recessed to form shoulders or shoulder-like portions, of bellows-leather, india-rubber, or like tleXible material having its edges fitting over said shoulders or shoulder-like portions, and cleats or strips iitted to the grooved or recessed portions and against the bellows-leather, india-rubber, or like material, and serving to aid in securing the latter in place, as also to brace and stay said top board.

l1. The combination, with a roller provided with a peripherical recess and a hook or analogous device arranged therein,of a music-sheet provided at one end with a ring or loop se cured to it by a tape or strip, and extending beyond the music-sheet, and adapted to be engaged with the said hook or device for securing the music-sheet to said roller, substantially as specified.

A. H. HAMMOND.

Witnesses:

T. J. KEANE, FREDK. HAYNEs. 

